


in the night

by chadleypitt



Category: Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Genre: First Kiss, I think?, M/M, Resolved Romantic Tension, Tenderness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2021-02-01 04:07:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21370549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chadleypitt/pseuds/chadleypitt
Summary: "please.” he hears Donny whisper, and he feels tempted to play dumb for a while longer. but he’s tense, he wants it. Needs it, maybe.
Relationships: Donny Donowitz/Aldo Raine
Comments: 1
Kudos: 33





	in the night

**Author's Note:**

> repost + self indulgent garbage

After getting dropped in the middle of the woods by an unmarked truck, it takes the Basterds around three days of walking to find a decent spot to set camp for the first time. The men are exhausted, Aldo himself included, but he still takes the first guard so his men can sleep. Up until that point they hadn’t found any Nazi squads, just abandoned cabins that looked ransacked and destroyed on the inside, blood splattered on the doors and walls of some of them. Bodies hung from the lowest trees around the properties, or they found them piled inside of the tool sheds a few meters away from the houses. It was not their main priority, but the Basterds took the time to cut them down and bury them properly. They don’t mention it after they leave, but Aldo sees Donny carving marks on his bat, and he puts his hand on his shoulder when the rest of the squad hikes ahead of them. Donny looks back at him and nods. It’s all they allow themselves to do. The Basterds spend a couple of nights in that clearing of the forest, until it’s time to fold their sleeping bags and hike further into the French woods. A week into their mission, patrols and small villages start to become more common. Their knives now have a permanent red tint on their edges, shining in the sun or the fires of the burn cars with bodies inside of them, and Aldo begins to get the scalps he asked for.

Their first month in France is felt by them, but the second one is a breeze. Time melds together when their only way to keep count is to pay attention to the sun, and they barely keep track of the days. They find the depression in the land surrounded by trees that becomes their first base one cold afternoon, and Aldo shares a look with Donny, and they nod at the same time. The Basterds sit down to eat a few of their rations, and soon their guards get split between them. Aldo, Utivich and Wicki get the first turns in guarding the north, east and western sides of their camp. The south is hidden by thicker trees, and Wicki agrees to check up on it on his way back from his guard.

They assume it’s around six when the sky turns a dark orange, and the Basterds set their sleeping bags around the entrance of a tunnel that leads to a dead end; it becomes their makeshift storage unit. The guards are armed, each carrying a knife and their respective handguns, and they set out on their respective directions. Aldo looks over his shoulder, spots Donny standing near the tunnel, and he snaps his head forward before he feels the Bear’s eyes on him. His pace is quick, the leaves under his boots wet and mushy due to a downpour the day before, but the more distance he puts between himself and the camp the crunchier the leaves sound. Aldo finds a thick log he can sit on for now, and he sets his things beside himself.

The woods are quiet that night, aside from the occasional hoot of an owl. The Basterds are quiet, thankfully, but he suspects nothing will bother them for tonight; a welcome change of luck. His hand reaches into his breast pocket, and he pulls a cigarette out, holding it between his pointer and middle finger. He settles the cylinder between his lips, and he digs the lighter out. A small cloud of tobacco smoke comes out of his mouth, and he puts the lighter down.

Aldo smokes quietly for a while, silver ash dusting his boots and his knee, until the cigarette burns out and he lets a curse when he burns the tips of his fingers. The butt is crushed under his boot, and not five minutes go by after he’s finished, when he hears leaves being crunched under boots behind him. His hand instinctively goes to his handgun, a finger on the trigger. He jumps and aims behind him. but he hears a familiar voice coming out of the shadows, and he slowly lowers it until its on his hip again. 

“It’s just me, lieutenant.”

Raine sighs, his hand dropping onto his thigh again. 

“You fuckin’ scared me Donny, second more and I would have shot you.”

He hears Donny chuckle, noticing the tiredness slipping into his voice, before he comes into his range of vision. He has a long, brown blanket wrapped around his shoulders, and Aldo briefly wonders where he could have gotten it. One of the abandoned houses they found in the way here, he supposes. Donny stands near him, and Aldo looks up to him, his features slightly illuminated by the moon.

“C’mon, scoot over.” 

He moves to the other side of the log he’s sitting on, letting Donny take the space next to him. They hear the wood complain, a soft crunching noise, but pay no attention to it. Aldo immediately presses himself to Donny’s side, seeking his warmth, though he makes no other move just yet.

“Thought you might be cold.” Donny says, after a few seconds of comfortable silence. He extends his arm, the blanket looking like a bat’s wing, and his side looking welcoming to Aldo. 

But, he doesn’t go into the embrace. Not yet. “Aren’t you supposed to be sleepin’? You got guard after me.” 

Donny shrugs. “Can’t sleep. Might as well start my guard now and have company until you leave.” He is about to wrap himself in his arm again, but Aldo takes up the space beside him before he can lower his limb. Raine takes the blanket and puts it over his own shoulder, Donny’s arm coming to wrap itself around it underneath the cloth, while he extends one of his own to put it around Donny’s waist. Their thighs are pressed close together, and Donny’s head came to rest on Aldo’s shoulder, making the lieutenant chuckle softly while he presses his cheek to the top of Donny’s head.

Aldo knows the others are either sleeping or keeping their positions on the other corners of the camp, but he still checks nervously over Donny’s head to see if anyone was looking at them. He knew his men, knew what kind of men they were; but that didn’t stop him from being paranoid when he was alone with Donny. Tonight wasn’t an exception, though he doesn’t spot anyone moving. His shoulders relax slightly, turning his neck so he can press his lips to Donny’s forehead. The other man shifts closer to him, Aldo’s legs being closed by the soft push of Donny’s own. 

He feels Donny’s hair brush against his chin, since he looks up at him now. His brown eyes look tired, but Aldo lets a sigh escape his lips when he sees his own affection being reflected back at him. He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t feel something for Donny, as scared as it might make him feel. He feels Donny has the same fear in his own heart, but asking him would force them to cross a line he doesn’t feel ready to even step on yet. In another time, maybe. 

“Everything okay in there?” Donny whispers, breaking Aldo out of his thoughts. 

He smiles, half heartedly. “Yeah, everythin’ okay.” His gaze shifts to Donny’s lips, before slowly making their way up his face to look at his own again. There’s a mischievous glint in them now. Aldo swallows as discreetly as he can. 

“Please.” He hears Donny whisper, and he feels tempted to play dumb for a while longer. But he’s tense, he wants it. Needs it, maybe. These are the only moments he has with Donny, stolen in the middle of the night. Brushing against each other and the occasional, playful smack in the ass after either one of them does something impressive are getting tired for Aldo; he’s dying to kiss Donowitz. If the look on the other man’s face means anything, he knows the feeling is reciprocated.

Aldo’s hand moves to Donny’s lower back, pressing him closer to him. The tips of their noses are touching now. “Donny…” 

He brushes his free hand against Donny’s neck, his fingertips barely pressing to his skin, and he can feel the man shudder. He presses them more firmly against his jaw, and his thumb rests on his chapped lower lip. Their hot breaths are mingling, Donny can smell tobacco in Aldo’s breath, and Aldo recognizes the scent of an apple Donny ate before he left to his shift.

He feels Donny’s pulse against his fingers, stable, but when he starts brushing his lip with his thumb softly it quickens slightly. A smirk paints Aldo’s lip, and Donny lets out a shaky breath.

“Get on with it and fucking kiss me.”

Aldo raises an eyebrow.

“You speakin’ to your superior officer like that?” Donny growls. Aldo chuckles. “Fucking brat.”

Before Donny can spit back at him, Aldo has removed his thumb and his lips are pressed to his, the hand moving to the back of Donny’s head so he can tilt it to the side to kiss him better. Donny moans, and Aldo grips his hair tightly. The other man’s hands tangle in Aldo’s hair, their faces pressed against one another, and Aldo’s senses are overwhelmed with Donny; his musk, his taste, how their teeth clink against each other and their noses bump against each other. It’s everything he expected, even better, maybe.

Donny pulls away first, pressing his forehead to Aldo’s instinctively, and he breathes heavily before opening his eyes. He lets out a nervous laugh, and Aldo chuckles half heartedly, tempted to nuzzle his nose on Donny’s neck, but he stops himself.  _ Too intimate.  _

“Want me to stay a while longer?” He whispers, instead, but Donny has already untangled his fingers from his hair and pulled back slightly. Aldo still has his arms wrapped around him, and he awkwardly lets go of Donny, leaning forward to press a kiss to the corner of his lips before doing so.

Donny smiles, but his expression turns serious a few seconds afterwards. “Go to sleep, Aldo. I’ll take care of it from here.” 

He wants to protest, wants to say that he’ll stay with Donny, but his chest does feel heavy with the lack of sleep and he wants nothing more than to close his eyes. He nods, quietly, before untangling himself from the blanket and standing up.

“I’ll see you later, Donny.” He stands there, and Donny stares at him. “Take care.”

“Will do, lieutenant.” Aldo nods, and he slowly takes a few steps, leaving Donny’s range of sight before his pace quickens, putting distance between the two of them before slowing down again. He wants to turn around, but he forces himself to keep walking until he’s at the camp, and he doesn’t realize he can hear his heart beating in his ears until he’s inside the sleeping bag. He dreams about Donny that night.

Donny’s shift must have ended before morning, because when the sun slips between the leaves and hits Aldo’s eyes, he’s huddled in his own sleeping bag beside him. He can only smile to himself before shaking him awake. They need to keep moving, but he’s looking forward to his next shift and the visit from Donny that’ll come with it.


End file.
